Saturday was the end of the road for Brazilian veteran Edson Barboza. The longtime UFC fighter, who had competed at lightweight and featherweight, faced Esteban Ribovics to kick off the UFC 330 main card in Philadelphia.
Barboza looked emotional, and fired up, making the walk for the lightweight fight.
Both men were swinging heavy early in the fight. Barboza mixed in kicks, while Ribovics landed several punches and soon had the Brazilian cut open. Ribovics pressed the action, and was drawing Barboza into a firefight in which he was outgunned. Esteban wisely fought in close, with Barboza lacking the space to get off his most dangerous kicks.
The back half of the round saw Ribovics fire a knee up the middle. Edson might have lost a step, after accumulating a fair amount of damage. Ribovics fired a jumping knee, then threw looping hooks from either side. Barboza fired a spinning back kick to the body, but was in too close. Another knee connected for Ribovics; a kick to the midsection landed for Barboza, followed by a low kick. At the end of the round, Barboza was rocked, went down, and had to grab on to Ribovis to survive. Heading back to his corner, Barboza looked down at his leg — which was split open and bleeding. The Brazilian’s eye was also damaged, but he chose to fight on.
Esteban Ribovics came out hot to start round two, looking to take advantage of his injured foe. He took some big swings, but hit air. Barboza fired the injured leg, though he didn’t have as much on it as usual. Ribovics soon closed the distance, landing several to the body. Barboza was under fire and retreating. Hemmed in against the fence, Ribovics connected with elbows and punches. Barboza didn’t go down, but ref Herb Dean had soon seen enough to stop the fight.
As expected, Barboza laid down his gloves after the fight, signaling his retirement. Ribovics called it an “honor to fight with him,” speaking with Joe Rogan. Barboza also got an interview with Joe Rogan.
“Every single fight I promise, I did my best,” stated an emotional Barboza. “Thank you, thank you so much.”
Official Result: Esteban Ribovics def. Edson Barboza by TKO, Round 2, 1:32
